Imagery allows the writer to use words to paint an image for readers as they enter the worlds created through words on a page. Imagery English Definition: To re-cap, imagery is descriptive language that appeals to one or more of our senses. In this example, Bradbury utilizes tactile imagery.īoth of these renowned authors employed imagery in order to effectively describe the settings in which their stories take place. With his symbolic helmet numbered 451 on his stolid head, and his eyes all orange flame with the thought of what came next, he flicked the igniter and the house jumped up in a gorging fire that burned the evening sky red and yellow and black. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatter and charcoal ruins of history. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. In this example, Lee uses various forms of imagery, including visual and tactile. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’ clock naps, and by nightfall were like stiff teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. However a preferred term to describe the process is imagery. Somehow, it was hotter then a black dog suffered on a summer’s day bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Imagery types Imagery is often referred to, particularly in some A level curriculums, as either visualisation or mental rehearsal. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. Describing the feeling of an ice cube being dropped down the back of your shirt, slowly migrating down to your waist in a swerving line, getting colder and colder the farther it goes or that feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you descend a roller coaster will evoke kinesthetic imagery.Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. Kinesthetics encompasses any physical interaction with our body, such as touch, heat or cold transfer, movement and internal emotions. Kinesthetic imagery is the broadest of the five. For example, the taste of copper will bring images of blood to most people. However, there are also tastes that have little to do with food. Mint is a taste that most people are familiar with, especially people who brush their teeth with mint toothpaste. Imagery draws on the five senses, namely the details of taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound. When a poet uses descriptive language well, they play to the reader’s senses, providing them with sights, tastes, smells, sounds, internal and external feelings. In poetry and literature, this is known as imagery: the use of figurative language to evoke a sensory experience in the reader. However, these images can be relatively potent if chosen carefully. Definition of Imagery As a literary device, imagery consists of descriptive language that can function as a way for the reader to better imagine the world of the piece of literature and also add symbolism to the work. The sensory details in imagery bring works to life. Gustatory imagery - or that which relates to taste - can be a bit tricky, because you never know what your writer likes or dislikes in terms of specific foods. Or, if you so choose, you can write about a rocket breaking the sound barrier, the powerful and delayed boom of the engines roaring overhead as the rocket flies out of sight. When a writer attempts to describe something so that it appeals to our sense of smell, sight, taste, touch, or hearing he/she has used imagery. The sound of raindrops on your window or a sweetly-sung nursery rhyme can bring back feelings of nostalgia. Imagery is the literary term used for language and description that appeals to our five senses. The truth is that there are various types of imagery, each of which involves one of the five senses. AuditoryĪuditory imagery is another of the more powerful forms of imagery. Although it may seem like the term imagery refers to the use of images, it’s not only about visual senses. Describing the simplest of things like a dirty gym sock, or a cup of mint tea can create truly powerful imagery as our sense of smell is one of the strongest and longest lasting forms of memory we possess. Olfactory imagery - or that which connects to the sense of smell - tickles your nose like pepper. Describing that particular shade of pink found at the eraser tip of your pencil, or the blinding white you see when you look directly at the sun easily brings forth the images described. Visual imagery is the most comfortable form of imagery for most writers.